Few video game franchises compare to Grand Theft Auto. In terms of sales, critical acclaim, and overall fun factor, Rockstar’s sandbox crime series is rivaled only by Mario, Zelda, and perhaps Final Fantasy or Call of Duty. With this week’s release of Grand Theft Auto III for mobile devices, there are now two GTA games available for the iPhone and iPad. How do the iOS versions of GTA III and GTA: Chinatown Wars stack up? Let’s take a look.

Visuals

Both games have sharp, vivid visuals, but there’s a huge difference: GTA III has a traditional 3D third-person view, while Chinatown Wars has a retro top-down perspective.

As GTA: CW was originally developed for the limited hardware of the Nintendo DS, the old-school look was both a stylistic choice and a practical necessity. Chinatown Wars gave Rockstar the chance to revisit the franchise’s roots with modern gameplay and story elements.

If you somehow missed GTA III the first time around, this is the title that started it all. Every Rockstar sandbox game you’ve played in the last ten years — GTA: San Andreas, GTA IV, Red Dead Redemption, or L.A. Noire — is a direct descendant of GTA III. The game’s visuals will look familiar to everyone, and need no explanation.

Gameplay

Despite the dramatically different appearances, the two titles have nearly identical core gameplay. You’ll be visiting goofy criminal contacts to get missions, stealing cars, running from the cops, respraying your ride, and shooting lots of guns — all the staples of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. It’s a golden formula, which works brilliantly in both games.

Freedom is at the core of any GTA title, and these two exemplify that perfectly. Missions are fun, but you can just as easily get caught up messing around, racking up a wanted level (more stars, more cops) and seeing if you can get away. Missions give the games linear structure, but you can craft your own action-packed games in between each assignment.

Starting in GTA IV, Rockstar refined weapons’ targeting system, but neither of these games have that benefit. Both consist of locking onto a target, pushing the attack button, and seeing red. This is the biggest thing that separates these games from the current generation of GTA console titles.

Controls

Rockstar implemented similar controls in the iOS versions of both games. Both will fill your display with semi-transparent buttons, but it’s never distracting. On foot, you get an analog stick for movement, and separate buttons for attacking, stealing cars, and switching weapons. Behind the wheel, you have left/right arrows, gas, brake, handbrake, and weapon buttons.

Both games give you some control customization in the settings menus. GTA III also gives you the option of using your device’s accelerometer (motion controls) for driving.

There are some areas where Chinatown Wars is better suited to touch controls. Tasks like making and throwing molotovs, hot-wiring cars, and smashing locks take advantage of the touchscreen. It sounds gimicky, but there’s something inherently fun about using various swipes and twists on the screen to assemble a sniper rifle.

Story and Dialogue

Grand Theft Auto has always brought heavy doses of satire, sarcasm, and goofiness, but starting with GTA IV it also took on a heavier, more thematic tone. Neither of these games carry that weight. Both GTA III and Chinatown Wars feature narrative and dialogue that is positively cartoon-like and over-the-top. But don’t mistake this for a sign of poor writing (try Gameloft’sGangstar series for that); here it’s a deliberate style.

One striking difference between GTA III and Chinatown Wars is in the cutscenes. GTA III has animated and fully-voiced (aside from Claude, the silent protagonist) cutscenes, while Chinatown Wars opts for subtitled storyboard dialogues. It’s another area where GTA: CW is a throwback game: it borrows from the cutscenes of old 8-bit and 16-bit games.

Price

GTA III is currently $4.99 in the App Store, and is a universal game for all iOS devices.

Chinatown Wars has a separate iPad-optimized version (Chinatown Wars HD). Both it and the iPhone/iPod touch version cost $9.99 each.

Overall

GTA: CW‘s bird’s-eye view turned off some gamers, and led to relatively weak sales for the game on the DS and PSP. This is unfortunate, as Chinatown Wars is among Rockstar’s finest. The graphics are simple, but the developer’s customary tight gameplay, unapologetic violence, and wicked humor are all there in full force.

If you have to pick one, you’ll want to go with GTA III. It’s a bigger, more visually-impressive game. Just ten years ago it was a breakthrough for consoles; now it’s a breakthrough for mobile devices. Its cheaper App Store price only seals the deal.

But when you’re finished, be sure to look into Chinatown Wars. It’s an underrated classic, and one of the best portable games of all-time.